Hat Lake in Kelsey: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Kelsey, Manitoba, is where Hat Lake sits. It lies 257 metres above sea level. At some 1.62 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. With 9.7 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. The nearest place of any size is Snow Lake, 34 km away. The nearest city of size is Saskatoon, 556 km away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Hat Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Kelsey cover white sucker, johnny darter and northern pike. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Hat Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 17°C and January near -23°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly early November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Hat Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Pot Hole Lake, 2.8 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Hat Lake.